About another 2 week hiatus from blogging, but reading some other golf blogs, which I haven’t done for awhile, inspired me to put some things down in print today. First it is an unusual Sunday in that I am not golfing today because I will be heading to the Pirate game later today. My play has been interesting as ususual. I am on a nice run right now with about 8 rounds in a row below 80 and I have put together some really good nines but not a total round. I have had one 2 under 9, two even par nines, and one 1 over nine. Working on a lot of things right now which I may get into in later blogs. Here is what inspired me.

1. THE ZONE. Ah yes the zone. We have all been there or at least think we have been there. I have no suggestions on how to get into the zone, but here is one thing that I find very interesting about the golf zone. Sometimes you can find it in just one part of your game. I have had days when I know I am going to hit every, and I mean every, drive right down the middle of the fairway. In fact it is almost comical. By the time I get to the thirteenth driver hole sometimes I almost start laughing because I know the drive is going right down the middle. I can say the same thing has happened with my irons and putting. What I find amazing is that even though this one part of your game is in “the zone” the rest of your game sucks.

2. THE DECLINE IN GOLF PARTICIPATION. Even though I think it does not hurt golf to have a popular superstar, I don’t think it is a major factor in people playing or not playing the game. There are many reasons that golf has declined. Rather than discuss them let me just list them, without really expounding on any of them, but they could be fodder for future blogs.

1 Time and money. Golf is time consuming and can be expensive

2. Golf is paying the price for not encouraging diversity.

3. USGA for not making a set of rules for the average golfer that will make the game faster and more enjoyable. Other than when they have a national tournament they do very little to promote the game.

4. Golf Courses for shooting themselves in the foot so many times that they can only walk on their kness. Here are a few examples. Setting up golf courses too difficult on the weekends with some very tough pin placements. Not making any effort to speed up play. Not having enough tee boxes. Not maintaining cart paths. Trying to squeeze too many people out on the course. New golf courses are just too difficult.

5. The PGA for having no true standard of teaching the game. Golf instruction is pathetic. If the PGA was responsible for teaching children to read then 80% would be illiterate.

6. Desperation. There is nothing wrong with the game and ideas such as a bigger hole and 12 hole rounds are ridiculous.

7. The Tour. The way they handled the Dustin Johnson situation and other negative aspects of players. Enough said. Do next to nothing to promote the game except for their own gain.

The game will survive if for no other reason the attrition of golf courses. As more and more shut down there will more players for the ones that survive. See you again when I have it all figured out.